


Love and War

by penninghistory



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: All Is Fair in Love and War, F/M, Love at First Sight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-07 00:35:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20300542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penninghistory/pseuds/penninghistory
Summary: All is fair in love and war, especially with children on the line. Canon divergent take on The Early Years, this follows Elizabeth of Seacliff fief, and her marriage to Baron Morgarath. It twists and turns, and when push comes to shove, will she be able to do what she once thought she could never do, to protect those she loves?





	1. Of Dances and Wedding Bells

It was too hot and stuffy in this crowded hall, Elizabeth thought, standing dejectedly in one corner, a small crystal glass of wine in her hand. She took a delicate sip, listening to the loud wall of voices around her, and trying to ignore to the miserable knight who was trying to gain her attention, for her acknowledgment.   
She rolled her eyes and made her way away, closer to her sister and her husband. The brown-haired woman, who was round with her second child, hopefully, a boy this time, smiled at her sister. "You're a wallflower again, Eliza," she teased, and the younger woman shrugged.   
"You can hardly blame me," Elizabeth said, looking away and back at the crowd. She adjusted her sky-blue gown and fixing her hairpiece, a simple crown of pearls and rubies. It made her look regal, maybe more the princess than the daughter of a baron. Then again, their mother had insisted on it. She was looking for a match for her daughter.   
Maybe, perhaps, the Baron Morgarath himself. But that...that was fantasy — a dream for children. And if rumors were true, it was more nightmare than pleasant ones.   
"Well, I can't help but notice our host has been keeping a close eye on you."   
"Angelica, if our host were keeping an eye on me, he would have said something by now," Elizabeth said, though her eyes wandered to the tall Baron of Gorlan fief, and could tell that Angelica was telling the truth.   
Black eyes made contact with her brown ones, and she blushed brightly, brushing dark red hair off of her ear. She swallowed, looking away. She could hear her sister laughing beside her, and she felt a hand on her shoulder.   
"Go get him!" her sister urged and pushed her closer to the man. 

On the other side of the room, dressed in black and talking to Baron Michel of Seacliff, Baron Morgarath stood, tall and proud. He gestured to Elizabeth, who had looked away and started talking once again to Angelica. "Is she yours?" he asked, and the gray-haired Baron followed his gaze.   
"Yes, Lord Morgarath," he replied, almost smugly. "My youngest. Elizabeth."   
Morgarath hummed, mind working quickly before nodding his thanks to the Baron before walking through the crowd, stopping next to Elizabeth. Angelica froze, eyes moving to the man and then to Elizabeth, before bowing and excusing herself.   
Elizabeth moved so that she was facing the Baron, her head bowed. "Hello, my Lord," she said quietly. "I didn't hear you come up behind me..."   
He held out a hand, a small smile gracing his lips. "Would you like to dance?" He asked. Eliza straightened, taking his hand and nodding, a blush heating her cheeks.   
They moved together to where there were other couples danced, and she glanced at Angelica, who gave her a positive gesture. "I have to be honest, my Lord, I don't know why you've picked me to dance with," Eliza said quietly, just so Morgarath could hear her. He chuckled lightly, watching her eyes. How they seemed to sparkle in the candlelight, how they shone with a light of fun and curiosity.   
"Why wouldn't I?" he asked her, and she shrugged, looking away.   
"There are several prettier women here," she pointed out, pointedly glancing at two of them who stared at them. They looked jealous, almost angry, and it made Eliza almost hesitant.   
"You mean them?"   
"Yes, my Lord."   
"Morgarath," he corrected her, and her gaze snapped back to him. "You may call me Morgarath."   
"Then you may call me Elizabeth. Or Eliza," she told him, and his smile grew as hers did.   
"Would you like to walk with me?" Morgarath said, and she nodded, taking one of his hands in hers, and allowing him to lead her away.   
"I would expect him to ask for her soon," Angelica said to her father, watching the two of them.   
"I wouldn't expect anything else," Michel told her, glancing sideways at his oldest daughter. "Did you have something to do with that?"   
"And why would I do that?" the woman asked, and her father rolled his eyes.   
"Best start getting ready for a wedding..." 

And three weeks later, there was a wedding, a small ceremony, with only family members and people from both households. Elizabeth was excited, nervousness making a pit in her stomach throughout the night.   
But this was her life now, and she had prepared for it the best she could.   
The next morning, she brushed her hair, the blue comb taking away the tangles in her red hair quickly. She watched Morgarath with her mirror as he slept still. She let go a soft breath, standing and moving to press a kiss to his forehead. "The sun is high in the sky, love," she whispered.   
"Is that why you've woken me?" he asked quietly, one hand moving to hers and pulling her back onto the bed. "Whatever people need can wait for a day or two."   
She allowed herself to be pulled back onto the bed. "I hate to be the reason you fell behind in work," she said, watching her husband.   
"Only the best reason too," he murmured, sitting up with her. he brushed stray strands of hair away from her cheek pressing a kiss to it. "Stay with me..."   
She laughed lightly at his tone and nodded. "Yes, love...of course..."


	2. Chapter 2

Three Months Later

Eliza stood facing a tall mirror, one where she could see her full outfit and placed a hand gently on the small bump that was forming on her abdomen. She smiled, sighing as she pulled her undershirt over it. The shirt only barely covered it, barely hiding her secret. "He can't find out yet," she told it, and the maidservant who stood nearby, a small smile on her lined face.  
"But, my Lady, will he be mad if he finds you've been hiding it?" a younger maid asked from where she was setting jewelry on a vanity.  
"No...I'm sure he'll be happy. Happy that I'm pregnant...happy to have a family..." the Baroness turned to the gray-haired older woman and allowed her to help her get dressed in a sunflower yellow dress. It was comfortable around the bump, and it reminded Eliza of the coming Spring. Green leaf buds were starting to appear on trees and walks around the gardens and parklands outside the castle walls starting to become longer.  
Those were moments she could spend with Morgarath, the time before supper and before they retired to their apartments for the evening when they were well and truly alone when he would not allow himself to be distracted by what he called pointless things.  
And soon, there would be a third person on those walks. A small girl or boy to run around and look into the trees and bushes. Someone who would want to jump into puddles and on the bed.  
She hoped it was a boy first. Give Morgarath a proper heir to his seat. But, even if it was a girl, she knew Morgarath would love a daughter as much as a son. 

But, there were some times when she would interrupt his day, give him a break from taking guests and listening to issues of those who work the lands of Gorlan fief. And after she had placed hair up in an intricate hairstyle, with a small crown of yellow jewels, she moved to the door, pausing when a man handed her a letter before bowing and leaving her to read it.  
She opened it and scanned the words written inside, smiling when she recognized Peggy's handwriting. She was getting ready to get married herself, to a knight from Redmont. And the news that Angelica had given birth to a healthy boy filled Eliza's heart with joy. A new nephew, who would have a cousin to play with soon.  
"My Lady, are you alright?" the older maid asked, and the Baroness realized that she had been standing still for some time, a hand resting on her abdomen.  
"Yes, yes," she said dismissively. "I'm fine. Just lost in thought is all." She nodded to the room, where there were things that still needed to get done. "Finish up in here, Margery. Anette, please see that a small lunch is prepared and sent to Lord Morgarath's study."  
The women nodded and set about their tasks. Elizabeth watched them work for a few moments longer before turning away and making her way towards Morgarath's office. It was a short walk to the room, and she nodded to guards posted outside before entering without knocking. It was her right to do so, even if she hadn't been announced before entering. She watched him writing a letter to one of his loyal commanders, a man stationed not too far from the castle, before walking around him and pressing a light kiss to the top of his head.  
"'I wish you would let me call a barber," she joked, moving to press another kiss to his cheek. He rolled his eyes, stopping his writing. His gaze shifted to his wife, looking the dress up and down before settling on her face.  
"That one is new," he commented. "Was it a gift?"  
She looked at the dress and shrugged. "If you could say that. A wedding gift from King Oswald and his family, if you can believe it, with an apology about not being about to make it for the ceremony." She smiled at him. "I"m also having a meal brought up. Lord knows you haven't eaten all day."  
"I have," he said, looking at his papers once more. Eliza merely raised an eyebrow at him.  
"Oh? And what was that?" she said, and he wondered when she had started becoming so witty with him.  
"I don't have to tell you."  
She smiled gently at him and moved back around the desk, standing in front of it and facing him. "You need to eat, love."  
"I know." His gaze moved up and down once more before pausing on her abdomen. "And how long have you known?"  
She froze, startled, before following her gaze and smiling. "A month or so." He stood and moved around to join her.  
"You should have told me," he said, and she smiled at him, putting her hands on his shoulders gently.  
"Well, I wrote a letter to my mother a month ago."  
"You should have told me---"  
"I'm not sorry." She smirked at him, watching as he placed his hands gently on her abdomen, looking on in some wonder. He was so handsome, she thought, and she took a deep breath. "Ok, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. But I wasn't sure...and I was worried we weren't ready."  
Morgarath looked at her. "'Not ready?"  
"We've only been married three months, almost four. I wasn't sure you were ready to have a child this soon."  
She looked worried suddenly, and his hands moved to her cheeks, gently lifting her gaze to his, and pressing a kiss to her lips. "I'm ready," he reassured her. "And I know we can do this."  
She smiled as well, pressing another kiss to his lips, starting to finally getting excited about this child and the future.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for the read! 
> 
> What was your favorite part of the chapter?   
Is there anything you would like to happen? 
> 
> Thank you for the kudos, reads, and saves! They mean so much to me!


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